School Mask Mandate Remains In These NJ Districts

NEW JERSEY — Students and teachers across New Jersey will be leaving a familiar school supply item behind when they return to classrooms on Monday: their face masks.

In an effort to battle back the coronavirus, New Jersey had been requiring all districts to mandate mask-wearing. But amid falling COVID-19 numbers and rising vaccination rates, Gov. Phil Murphy recently announced that the state will lift its mandate on March 7, leaving it up to each school district to choose its own masking policy.

Since Murphy’s announcement, a wave of districts announced plans to lift their mandates or make masking optional. But there have been others that say they plan to continue their own mandates beyond Monday. As of Friday, they included public school districts in East Orange, Irvington, New Brunswick, Newark, Paterson, Plainfield and West Windsor-Plainsboro. The South Orange-Maplewood district began the week with a mask mandate, but later announced that it will make masks optional on March 14.

According to a poll from Rutgers-Eagleton released Monday, a majority of New Jerseyans agree with lifting the child care and school settings mask mandate. Forty-six percent “strongly agree” with Murphy’s decision to end the mandate, 22 percent “somewhat agree,” 12 percent “somewhat disagree” and 18 percent “strongly disagree.”

Some mask opponents have cheered the decision to lift the state mandate. But others argue that it should have been dropped much sooner.

Sen. Joseph Pennacchio (District 26) recently noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its recommendations with new guidance that accounts for local conditions in each county.

Under the updated guidelines, the CDC now recommends that indoor masking, including in schools, only needs to take place in counties experiencing a “High” level of COVID-19. As of Friday, all of New Jersey was rated at “Low” or “Medium.”

The CDC also announced that masks on school buses are no longer required.

The senator said Murphy should rethink his plan to let local school districts voluntarily keep their mask mandates in place, especially considering the new guidelines from the CDC.

“While we should respect the personal decisions of those who want to continue masking, their fears shouldn’t be forced upon everyone else, especially our children,” Pennacchio said. “It’s time to end all school mask mandates and give back parental rights.”

The largest teachers union in the state, the New Jersey Education Association, has tentatively supported Murphy’s decision to leave the choice up to each district.

After Murphy made his announcement on Feb. 7, NJEA leaders released a statement that said its members are “cautiously optimistic” the statewide school mask mandate can be safely relaxed in the near future — assuming current trends continue.

“As we have said from the beginning of the pandemic, it is critical to follow the data and listen to public health experts when implementing or removing COVID protocols,” union representatives wrote.

“We urge Gov. Murphy to continue to analyze the data and do whatever is necessary to best protect the health and well-being of students and staff,” the NJEA added. “That includes the possibility of maintaining or reimposing the mask mandate for schools after March 7 if the data indicates that is the correct course.”

NJ SCHOOL DISTRICTS SPLIT ON MASKING

In addition to the CDC guidelines, many school districts in the Garden State have also been citing another key metric in their masking decisions: the New Jersey Department of Health’s weekly COVID-19 Activity Level Report.

There are four levels on the weekly report: low, moderate, high and very high. The New Jersey Department of Health suggests that school districts and child care centers require masks if COVID-19 transmission hits the “high” level in their communities.

According to the latest update on Feb. 26, the state was in “moderate” status, with every county at “low” or “moderate” risk levels. The six counties in “low” status were Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex and Hudson.

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The split between school districts that are choosing to mask and those which are not is evident in Essex County, which has been among the hardest hit in the state during the pandemic but is now seeing a big turnaround, statistics show.

Essex County — which has routinely appeared at the top of the state’s list for cases and deaths since April 2020 — moved into “low” status with the New Jersey Department of Health on Feb. 19. The county was also in "low" COVID-19 community level status with the CDC as of Feb. 25.

• See related article: 'Zero Patients With Active COVID' At Busy NJ Hospital, CEO Says

The drop in COVID-19 rates have inspired some local districts to lift their mandates — albeit with some strings attached.

After announcing that the West Orange Public School District would make masks optional after March 7, Superintendent Scott Cascone offered the following explanation:

“This decision was based on the continued low in-school transmission and quarantine rates, the continued drop in new cases and hospitalizations, the growth in the vaccination rates for our school-aged population, and the current level of transmission as reflected in the weekly COVID-19 activity report which places the northeast region in the low level of transmission and low level of risk or green."

West Orange’s mask-optional policy will remain in place unless the area returns to either the “high” or “very high” activity levels, Cascone added. Read More: Masks Soon Optional In West Orange Schools, Superintendent Says

Other local districts that recently announced plans to make masks “optional” include Bloomfield, Livingston, Millburn and Montclair.

But some districts in Essex County say they plan to continue their masking mandates, including East Orange, Irvington, South Orange-Maplewood, and the largest public school district in the state, Newark.

Administrators in the Newark Public School District have remained steadfast in their support for masking throughout the pandemic, repeatedly opting to keep their local mandate in place. That policy continued Monday for all students, staff and visitors.

Patch reached out to the district for comment on the mask mandate. We will update this article with any reply we receive.

Meanwhile in Newark, city officials recently rolled back some of the state’s toughest coronavirus mandates, including indoor masks and “proof of vaccination” to enter many local businesses.

"Because of the cooperation of our community in our efforts to continue our fight against COVID-19, we are seeing a downward trend in cases," Mayor Ras Baraka said. "That has in turn enabled us to remove vaccination and mask restrictions."

"However, we still need to remain vigilant," Baraka added. "Continue to wear your masks when appropriate and get vaccinated, to protect yourselves and your loved ones."

• See related article: Newark Lifts COVID Mandates For Indoor Masks, 'Vaccine Proof'

In East Orange — the second-most populated city in Essex County — public school officials plan to continue their mask mandate until at least April 14. All employees, students and visitors must continue wearing masks on school grounds or when attending school events.

East Orange School Superintendent AbdulSaleem Hasan released more details about the decision in a letter to the community. He wrote:

“Noting the significant decline of statewide COVID-19 metrics, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Feb. 7 that masks and facial coverings will no longer be mandated for students, staff, or visitors in schools and childcare centers effective March 7. Upon notification of the announcement, East Orange School District officials immediately met with the local health department to discuss the transmission rate within the community as well as the data percentages of those fully vaccinated in our surrounding area. Additionally, district officials reached out to stakeholders - a group comprised of parents/guardians, staff, and students in grades 6 to 12, to provide an opportunity to share their views on the governor's announcement.”

The district shared the results of a survey on the issue, which asked for reactions on the following statement: "I would like the East Orange School District to extend the mask mandate until we are sure that we are providing the safest environment for our children and employees."

The results were:

Parents/Guardians (1,130 responses)

• Yes – 86.9%
• No – 13.1%

Staff (829 responses)

• Yes – 82.6%
• No – 17.4%

Students (580 responses)

• Yes – 67.1%
• No – 32.9%

Hasan confirmed the district’s mask mandate will continue in a Wednesday email to Patch.

“As previously explained, this decision was based on feedback from the East Orange Department of Health as well as the stakeholder survey,” Hasan said. “The general consensus was that people felt more comfortable with continuing to wear masks at this time, to which I obliged.”

“We will reassess the health and safety of our community prior to [April 14] and will inform everyone of the recommendations at that time,” Hasan added.

The Irvington Public School District conducted a similar survey, getting an “overwhelming response from parents and guardians indicating that masks should continue to be worn and required,” according to administrators.

Irvington officials released a message about the decision to continue masking:

“Pending our board of education approval on Wednesday, March 16, Irvington students, staff and visitors will continue to wear masks and facial coverings in all district buildings during all programs including after school and Saturday school programs, even after the state of New Jersey mask mandates ends on March 7. We will revisit this mandate after our spring break ends on April 25 and update you accordingly. It should be noted that this decision was made after careful consideration and consultation with the Irvington Health Department, Essex County Health Department, district leadership, and input from Irvington’s teaching and support staff.”

The South Orange-Maplewood School District also continued its mandate to start the week, although masks were optional for outdoor school activities such as outside recess. In making the announcement, the district cited the need for more guidance about other health measures, but also announced a schedule of certain "rollbacks" such as removing Plexiglas dividers from classrooms.

"We understand that this may be disappointing to some, however, we are instead choosing to implement a cautious roll-back of our masking mandate as well as some mitigation strategies," the message said.

• See related article: School Mask Mandate Will Continue In South Orange-Maplewood

Many parents in the district have supported the mask mandate. But others have been staunchly against it.

The parents from the "SOMA for Safe Return to School" group — which protested a year ago when Maplewood schools stayed remote into March — are now asking for four things to change on Monday, when the state of New Jersey lifts its own school mask mandate:

• Make masks optional in both indoor and outdoor school settings, not just outdoors as Maplewood has proposed.
• Remove Plexiglas partitions in the cafeterias.
• End the travel quarantine for unvaccinated students.
• Implement "Test to Stay," which allows unvaccinated but symptomless students who had COVID-19 exposure to stay in school unless they test positive.

"While adults are socializing at bars, concerts and sporting events without masks, our children continue to carry the burden and are forced to operate in a highly restrictive environment," said the group's co-leader, Kate Walker, a South Orange parent of three.

“It's critical that we get rid of outdated measures like plexiglass dividers in the cafeteria – something that is no longer recommended by the state – and prioritize helping our children heal from the last two years of trauma,” she added.

• See related article: Parents Fight Mask Mandate Continuation In SOMA Schools

The district later announced plans to switch to an "optional" policy starting on March 14.

With additional reporting from Caren Lissner, Patch staff

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